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CHAPTER 10

Houston was going to hit him. Brooke knew with one look at Houston’s face that he was about to lose it, right there in front of her. If he threw the first punch…

Then Dwight would win. Would cause trouble for Houston. Real trouble. Legal trouble. He’d tried that with other people she knew before. Taunting and taunting until they couldn’t take it any longer.

He wanted Houston to hit him. She could see it in his eyes.

No. It wasn’t going to work that way.

Houston wasn’t going to get in trouble because of her. That was not how she was going to repay him for trying to protect her. Brooke stepped between the two men and put her hand on each of their chests.

Houston’s was hard as a rock. No surprise.

She’d seen the man in the soft, worn, FCU T-shirts he favored. She had seen the rock-hard muscles of his arms. Houston was extremely athletic; she’d overheard him talking with the intern who did sports updates all the time. “Stop. Houston, he’s wanting you to hit him. It’s how he feels in control. ”

She knew all about feeling in control. It had taken her a long time to get back to being in control of her own life all those years ago. Dwight Hoby wasn’t going to take that away from her now.

Hoby just looked at her, then grabbed her hand in his. Brooke couldn’t help it, she flinched when he pulled her closer. “It’s just a matter of time, sweetlips. Then, you and I are going to finally get to know each other better. Just like you’ve been promising me with those little looks of yours for weeks. You are going to get exactly what you deserve. You have my word on that.”

Then she was being lifted out of the way. Tucked safely behind Houston, while he crowded the smaller man against the wall.

She honestly thought he was going to pulverize Dwight, from the look on his face. But then he spoke…and it was the coldest voice she had ever heard. “You come near her, Hoby, and they will be picking your body parts up off the ground with tweezers I’ll shred you so small. Got me? You have my word on that. ”

“Like to see you make that happen, Evers. You’re nothing but a steroid-jacked up pain in the ass around here. The only reason you’re still around is, let me guess…you’re screwing the owner’s slutty little daughter?”

He was doing anything he could to taunt Houston, wasn’t he?

Of course, he was. Houston was the backbone of the station. The one most in charge. Everyone knew that. He was the natural authority, the one with power over Dwight, and the insignificant little worm couldn’t handle that at all.

Because Dwight didn’t feel he had control of anything at all.

She slid between the two men again, and this time, she turned her back on Dwight. And looked up at the man who she actually respected now. “We need to get back to work. There are people out there…who need us more than ever now. Dwight Hoby isn’t worth the trouble he’s trying to cause. And…thank you. For everything tonight. I mean it. I couldn’t have done tonight without you.”